Family Reunion
by ImAlwaysEarly
Summary: Tony Stark and his younger sister Aria are responsible for Stark Industries. When Tony disappears and then reappears changed, how will Aria handle it? [Set during the first Iron Man film]
1. Chapter 1

I hope you enjoy this. In my version Tony Stark has a little sister, Aria, who is 16 years younger than him. This will be entirely from her point of view, unless otherwise stated. It won't have everything from the movie in it, but you've already seen all of the Marvel films.

* * *

Aria Stark sat next to Obadiah Stane while Colonel James Rhodes was on stage giving a speech about her elder brother. Her right hand fiddled with her phone, texting her brother. She looked around the room, hoping he might make a grand entrance at the last minute. Unfortunately though, he never showed. Obadiah, the occupant of the seat to her right, stood up and strode to the stage.

"This is beautiful, thank you," Obadiah states, looking at the award in his hand. "Thank you all very much. This is wonderful. Well, I'm not Tony Stark. But if I were Tony, I would tell you how honored I feel and what a joy to receive this very prestigious award. Tony, you know, the best thing about Tony is the worst thing. He's always working."

"Yeah, working some slut out of her dress," Aria murmured under her breath.

Obadiah walked off the stage while the room was still applaud the speech. She checked her phone again, nothing from Tony. Downing the glass of champagne in front of her, she set off to find Rhodey and Stane. Her royal blue cocktail dress flowed about her while her black stilettos sounded off with each step. She found the two men waiting for her backstage.

"I can't believe he didn't show," Rhodey commented in disbelief, the award back in his hands.

"He's in Vegas somewhere," the young woman commented.

"But not where he was supposed to be," Rhodey replied. "I'm going to go look for him. I'll see you two later."

The Air Force colonel took off towards the casino. Obadiah sighed and turned to the young woman next to him.

"Are you flying out tonight or tomorrow?" He asked her.

"Tonight, I've got a busy morning tomorrow. I've got some important meetings that I can't miss," Aria answered, fidgeting with the ring on her right hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow," He told her, placing his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her nerves. "Tony will come around. I just know he'll clean his act up."

Aria just nodded her head as Obadiah walked away leaving her alone. Four hours later and her private jet had landed on the LAX tarmac. She didn't reach the Stark mansion until almost 1 am. Upon entering the home she shared with her brother, she discovered her brother beat her home; a trail of clothes leading up to his room. Shaking her head she ventured off towards her own room.

"Good evening JARVIS," Aria said out loud.

"Good evening Miss Stark. How was your trip?" The smooth voice of the AI asked.

"The flight was quick, Vegas wasn't bad, Tony once again did not appear. He was too busy gambling and find a new woman to sleep with," she answered with a disapproving tone.

"I'm sure he'll grow up someday," JARVIS commented.

"He's 38, I don't think he'll ever grow up. Goodnight JARVIS," Aria sighed, pushing the door to her bedroom open.

"Goodnight Miss Stark," JARVIS replied, going silent until called on again.

Aria dropped her duffle next to her bed and shuffled towards her bathroom. She flicked her shoes off her feet and into the open closet. Ten minutes later she flopped onto her bed, make washed off her face and now wearing a white Stark Industries tank top and a pair of yoga pants. Crawling under the covers, she passed out the second her head hit the pillow.

* * *

"Good morning. It's 7 am. The weather in Malibu is 72 degrees with scattered clouds. The surf conditions are fair with waist to shoulder high lines. High tide will be at 10:52 am," JARVIS announced while raising the screens on her windows.

"Thank you JARVIS," Aria groaned.

She crawled out of bed, miscalculating the distance between her and the edge of the bed causing her to fall off. The young woman staggered into the shower minutes later letting the cold water fully wake her up.

"JARVIS, where's my brother?" She asked out loud, wrapping a towel around herself.

"He is down in the garage," the AI answered.

Twenty minutes later Aria was walking down the steps to the garage, her black Stark Industries shirt, skinny jeans, and chucks making her look like she was Tony's daughter instead of little sister. Upon reaching the bottom, she punched her code in allowing her access.

"Morning," Aria called out.

"Good morning Aria," Pepper Potts replied.

"Morning, how old are you again? You look like you're 16," Tony said, tilting his head as he stared down his little sister.

"Im 22, at least I look younger than I really am," she smirked.

"Are you calling me old?" He threw back at her, standing up and wiping the grease from the car he was working on onto a rag.

"Yeah," Aria replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"I love you too," he grinned.

"As I was saying before Aria showed up, your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago," Pepper lectured.

"That's funny, I thought with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there," Tony quipped.

"Tony, I need to speak to you about a couple of things before I get you out of the door," Pepper shot over to him.

"Doesn't it defeat the purpose of having your own private plane if it takes off before you get there?" Tony asked.

"I've gotta go, meetings. Fly safe, I'll see you soon," Aria quickly her brother a one armed hug.

"Will do. Take care of yourself," Tony replied as she quickly walked out.

With her purse in hand, she quickly arrived to her white Audi R8 parked out front. The drive was fairly short, traffic was at a minimum. She pulled up into her spot noticing that Obadiah Stane was already there, and it was barely 8 am. Her sneakers carried her swiftly throughout the building until she reached the Research and Development department, her playroom.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen," Aria announced as she bounded into the room, her long brown her swaying with each step.

She glanced around the room filled with Stark Industries board members, government officials, and representatives from the United Nations. Taking a mental note of who was in attendance, she swapped her purse for her lab coat which was hanging by a desk in the room.

"What I'm here to show you is the future. This will not only help our country and our soldiers, but also those in countries who do not have access to enough clean water. Here at Stark Industries, my top scientists and I have been working hard to find an economical solution that will save lives," Aria began.

They day wore on, presentations and meetings one after another. At around 4 pm the barrage had came to a halt, giving her room to breathe. She sat in her office, a salad set in front of her. As she was bringing the first forkful of greens to her mouth a knock echoed through her office.

"Do you have a minute?" Pepper Potts asked as she entered the spacious room.

"Anything for you pepper," Aria sighed, letting the fork drop to the bowl.

"Since Tony is gone, this contract needs to be read and signed. I'll need it by tomorrow afternoon," The assistant requested as she set the papers on her desk.

"Will do Pep. Oh hey, any plans tonight? Doing anything fun for your birthday?" Aria inquired.

"No, no plans. It'll probably be a quiet night in with pizza, beer, and ice cream," Pepper replied.

"We should go out, your favorite restaurant and we'll have a wonderful time because Tony is out of the country," the brunette offered.

"There is this little pizza place in Burbank that I love," Pepper thought out loud.

"Sounds like a plan," Aria smirked.

* * *

"Why haven't I been there before!" Aria exclaimed as they both climbed into her car.

"It's a hidden gem. I'm glad you liked it," Pepper smiled, fastening her seat belt.

"Did you have a good birthday?" Aria asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

"It's one of the best I've had. Thank you again for the necklace and earrings, they're beautiful," The ginger replied.

"I don't have much of a family, and I think of you as a sister. Maybe soon my brother will actually admit that he has feelings for you," the young woman slipped in.

"He doesn't," Pepper started.

"He's my brother, I know him better than he knows himself," Aria interrupted.

"Then why does he sleep around?" Pepper inquired.

"He's insecure, afraid of his feelings, afraid of being in a monogamous relationship. Take your pick," Aria listed.

Before Pepper could reply Aria's phone rang. She pressed the button on her steering wheel that allowed her to answer it directly through her car's stereos system.

"Aria Stark," she answered, her eyes still focused on the road.

"Hey kiddo, are you sitting down?" The voice asked.

"I'm currently driving Obadiah. Why, what's up?" She inquired, and uneasy feeling starting to settle in her stomach.

"Pull off to the side of the road, I've got some news that I need to tell you. I don't want you driving while I tell you" Obadiah instructed.

"You're starting to scare me Obie," Aria confessed.

"Obadiah, what's wrong?" Pepper asked with a noticeable tremor in her voice

"I'm parked at a McDonalds. Obadiah Stane, what is going on!" Aria demanded.

"I just got a call and something went wrong Tony's weapon demonstration. He's convoy was attacked and they couldn't find his body in the wreckage. The Army believes he's alive," Obadiah calmly explained.

Her hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. The woman sitting next to her fought hard to keep her tears from falling.

"Are you you two still there?" He asked them.

"Yeah. We're here. What should we do next?" Aria inquired through clenched teeth.

"We have to carry on. I'll hold a press conference tomorrow. Don't worry about it," Obadiah instructed.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for checking out the first chapter. Reviews (feedback) make me happy, but this story will continue on no matter what. I am starting to plan out the following sequels, I plan to take it to _the end of the line_. _  
_

* * *

The next few weeks flew by. Pepper returned to work the day after the press conference while Aria sunk into a depression. The press were camped outside of the gates of the Stark Mansion. She didn't want to confront them or discuss the disappearance of her only family member. She spent most of her life out of the public's eye and hated whenever she was in it; letting Tony take the spotlight.

"Aria? Are you awake?" A voice asked.

A muffled _no_ came from underneath the blankets of her bed.

"Aria, it's been a month. You need to come back to work. We need you. They'll find Tony soon, I know they will. He never goes down without a fight," Pepper lectured while gently tugging the blanket off of her.

"Alright, I'll head in today. Let me just get ready," she conceded.

"I'll be downstairs waiting for you," Pepper sighed.

Aria crawled out of bed and towards her bedroom. When she looked in the mirror she noticed the bags under her eyes, her long, dark brown hair was a mess, and her shirt looked as if it hung more loosely than it had before. After almost an hour of being left alone by Pepper, she finally emerged from her room, not bother with her contact lenses anymore, her black plastic frame glasses sat on her nose. Her long brown hair was in a pony tail and she wore a red button down blouse with red pants. The sound of someone descending the stairs caused Pepper to look up, a part of her hoping it was Tony.

"I'm ready. Who's driving?" The young brunette solemnly called out.

"Happy is driving," Pepper answered, following her to the door.

The drive was eventful to say the least. The paparazzi were feverishly trying to snap photos of the remaining Stark Child. On the freeway, a small caravan raced after them with video cameras, hoping for a good shot. Twice they almost caused crashes, spurring Happy to drive more swiftly. It wasn't until they reached the gates of the Stark Industries parking lot did they find sanctuary from their predators. Obadiah was waiting outside for them by his Segway, an amused smirk on his face.

"She returns!" Obadiah called out, his arms stretched wide in an attempt to welcome her back.

"You have Pepper to thank," Aria responded while being pulled into a hug.

"I know your not a fan of the weapons division, but I need you to look over something's and sign off on some others," he listed, leading the way into the main building.

"You know how much I hate the weapons division. That was Tony's. I worked in the division were we tried to improve lives, not end them," Aria complained.

"Since Tony is gone, you're now head of Stark Industries kiddo," Obadiah reminded her. "You've gotta step up and talk part in all of it, which includes the weapon division."

Aria sighed in response, following him through the maze of hallways with Pepper Potts on her heals. Her day was as bad as she feared. Every so often someone would tell her how sorry they were and offer the condolences. Adding on to everyone assuming her brother was dead, she had to okay a new assembly of Tony's Jericho missiles. Upon first seeing them she felt nothing but anger and hatred towards the weapon, blaming it for Tony's absence. She would have pulled the plug on the manufacturing contract for it if Rhodey hadn't of been there. Though once that meeting was over she bolted out the door.

"Look, I know how hard it was for you to okay this. It was hard for me too. He was just a few humvees ahead of me," Rhodey told her as he walked alongside.

"Yes, but at least you still have your family. My parents were killed when I was six and now my only living family member has disappeared, whom everyone assumes is dead," Aria said as calmly as she could, her anger starting to seep through.

"What about Pepper, Obadiah, and myself?" He asked, following her into her office.

"That's different," she replied, fighting tears from falling. "Your like family, but Tony is blood. Is the military still searching for him?"

"Yes. They're sending out drones and checking their satellite surveillance data daily. I have you listed to be the first one called when they find him. Tony's too stubborn to die," Rhodey answered.

"I think that's just a Stark trait. We're too stubborn," Aria commented.

"We worry about you, Pepper and I," her friend stated.

"I gathered that," Aria shot. "We'll, I've got a few things I need to do so if you wouldn't mind leaving?"

"Alright, but can you start eating more? What would Tony say if he saw you?" Rhodey pointed out.

Aria didn't answer, causing Rhodey to shake his head while leaving. The young woman sat at her desk and stared at the papers in front of her, completely lost in thought. Her brother's last words started to echo in her mind take care of yourself. Using both my arms, I swept everything within reach off my desk causing. The pent up anger and frustration of her brother's disappearance had finally burst. She breathed deeply for a minute before laughter started to erupt from her. Her emotions were soaring through the spectrum. Realizing how ridiculous she was being, she started laughing even harder. Falling off of her chair and clutching her side, her new temporary assistant, Pepper Potts, rushed in.

"What's going on? Are you okay in here?" Pepper asked, rushing towards Aria.

"Oh yeah, yeah. I'm good," she answered while wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm actually good. I've been so ridiculous. When Tony gets back he is going to make fun of me so much."

Pepper looked at her young friend, worried for her sanity. Offer her hand, Aria managed to stand and was able to survey the mess she had made. Her body began to shake, fighting the laughter that was threatening to escape again. Pepper stared at her and let a smile laugh escape her lips.

"Come on, let's clean this up. I'll call Happy and have him pick us up. That sound good?" Pepper suggested.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Aria confirmed.

* * *

Their return journey home was less eventful. There were no paparazzi or car chases, just a peaceful drive. When Aria walked into her home, Pepper carefully watched her. Her eyes watched the young woman, fearful of a relapse in her depression. Instead of breaking down in tears Aria took off towards the garage.

"Where are you going?" Pepper cautiously inquired.

"I'm going to play," Aria called over her shoulder as she bounded down the stairs.

"Good evening Miss Stark. Might I say, it is a pleasure to see you down here again," JARVIS' smooth voice greeted.

"Good evening JARVIS. Let's start a new project, but keep on my personal drive. Don't sync it up to the office. I need something to keep me busy until Tony gets back," She instructed, slowly walking around the garage.

"And what do you plan on creating?" JARVIS inquired.

"How about a new phone? We're gonna lose the whole app thing and for the first model and take it back to basics," She thought out loud.

She approached the workable and began sketching out dimensions of the device. Pepper had called Rhodey early on and the two were watching from the stairs.

"Did you say something to her earlier today?" Pepper asked, starting to ascend the stairs.

"I just asked her what Tony would have said if he saw her angry and depressed. I didn't know what I said would have this much of an effect on her. I should asked her that a while ago," Rhodey confessed.

"I think she needed time though to deal with losing her brother. When I found her after you left I thought she had gone insane. I think she has some issues that she may need to work out, but she has improved. Do you want to stay for dinner? I think I'm going to order us Chinese," Pepper replied, going through her phone for the number of the Chinese place that delivered.

"If Aria is going to be social, then I'll stay. I think we've made a breakthrough today," he confirmed.

* * *

They next two months flew by. When Aria wasn't at work, running the company, she was down in the garage working on whatever came into her head. She had finished her new phone with success, leaving her to work on the next, more technologically advanced model. It was during the weekly meeting with the heads of each division when her phone went off.

"I'm sorry everyone. I thought I had turned the sound off," she apologized before looking at the caller id.

Her smile dropped as the realization of who is calling sunk in. She took off out the door, starting to shake as she answered the phone.

"Hello Miss Stark, I'm Colonel Craig. I'm calling to inform you that we found Tony. He's alive and we should have him home to you soon. Colonel Rhodes will be contacting you shortly with more information," the Air Force officer informed her.

"Thank you," Aria squeaked out as she ended the phone call.

Before she could realize what she was doing, her feet had led her straight to Pepper Potts.

"Are you okay Aria, what's wrong?" Pepper asked, noticing her friend was crying.

"They found him. He's coming home," Aria grinned.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all for the alerts, follows, and review. I tried to upload this last night, but there were some technical difficulties with the site. I might be already writing the first chapter for the sequel to this story. I hope to have the next chapter up in a day or two! Enjoy!

* * *

Pepper and Aria were anxiously waiting on the tarmac for the loading door of the plane in front of them to open. Aria was dressed professionally with a black pencil skirt, white blouse, and black boots; looking the part of Stark Industries CEO. Pepper was fighting back tears as the door lowered while her counterpart was fighting back the urge to run to her brother. Tony managed the short journey from the plane, shooing off the ready ambulance and approaching the only two women in his life that mattered.

"Tears for your long lost boss?" Tony quipped.

"Tears of joy, I hate job hunting," she replied.

"Vacation's over," he commented.

"Like you would lose your job because he left?" Aria snorted.

"And you. You look like an adult. What gives?" Tony smirked.

"Someone had to be CEO while you were gone, might as well be a Stark," Aria retorted.

The two stared at each other for only a split second before he pulled her into a hug with his good arm. She threw her arms around him and buried her face into his neck, letting a few tears fall.

"Never do that again. Do you hear?" Aria demanded, wiping away the tears.

"And tell my kidnappers that my sister said I'm not allowed to be kidnapped anymore?" He laughed.

The three of them trekked towards the car waiting for them, Happy standing by the driver' side door. Aria kept glancing toward her brother the whole time to make sure that he wouldn't disappear of she wasn't watching him. Tony and pepper took the back seat while the youngest Stark opted to sit in in the front with Happy.

"Where to sir?" Happy asked.

"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy," Pepper managed to say before Tony interrupted.

"No," he interjected.

"No? Tony you have to go to the Hospital," She remarked.

"No is a complete answered," he replied.

"The doctor has to look at you," Pepper tried to reason.

"I don't have anything to do. I've been in captivity for three months. There's two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger and the other," Tony started.

"That's enough of that," Pepper replied with disgust while Aria could only sigh in disproval.

"Is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now," he finished, glaring at his assistant and his sister.

"What on earth for?" Pepper asked.

"Hogan drive, cheeseburger first," Tony instructed.

Aria turned around to stare at her brother while Happy started to pull away from the Air Force base. Miss Potts started to call up the public relations department for Stark Industries while the siblings entered a staring contest. The two often completed in this way to see who would start their conversations first.

"You blinked. What have you been doing since I've been gone?" Tony asked.

"Working on a new phone, something that actually looks like the future. Something that doesn't look like you got is from a mall kiosk," she jabbed, causing Tony to feign hurt.

"My phone? Well, that's gone now. Can I see yours?" He asked with his hand stretching out.

"Yeah yeah, here. It mimics the technology already built into the house. This one is only the third model. I've added a camera into this top rim here and speaker into this bottom one. The opacity changes for different functions. I don't if I'm crazy about certain functions yet. I've drawing up plans for the next model. I'm planning on integrating JARVIS into the next one," Aria babbled.

"I want one," he announced with an impressed look painted into his face.

"I'll see what I can do," she confirmed, stretching her hand out to receive her phone.

A feeling of pride washed over her from her brother's admiration of her work. Before his kidnapping he would often dismiss what she did because it had nothing to do with building weapons. She was the main reason that Stark Industries did anything besides build weapons for the military. Aria could only smile, and stared out the window to hide the fact that her grin wouldn't leave her face.

Forty-five minutes later Happy pulled into the parking lot of Stark Industries. Happy drove the car towards the mass of employees waiting out front to witness the return of the CEO in public. A few of the press had joined them to snap pictures of his homecoming while the rest waited inside the massive building. Tony had already inhaled one burger and was ready for the second earning a disapproving sigh from the woman sitting next to him. Aria could see Obadiah eagerly waiting for Tony's arrival with everyone else.

"Tony! I thought we were going to meet at the hospital?" Obadiah greeted, pulling Tony in.

"No, I'm fine," Tony replied shortly.

"Look at you! You just had to have a burger, yeah?" Obadiah joked.

"Well, come on," Tony pointed out.

"You get me one of those?" He asked.

"There's only one left and I need it," Tony answered, reaching into the bag that Happy had offered him.

Obadiah led him inside the building with Pepper and Aria trailing behind. The pushed through reporters and photographers, documenting the scene. Tony was brought to the podium in the front while Aria and Pepper stayed in the back of the hall, letting Tony once again take the spotlight.

"Miss Potts? Miss Stark?" A voice to their left inquired.

"Yes?" Pepper answered in return, Aria merely turning her head towards the man.

"Can I speak to you both for a moment?" He asked.

"We're not part of the conference, but it's about to begin right now," Pepper informed the man.

"I'm not a reporter. I'm Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division," Agent Coulson explained, handing Pepper his card.

"That's quite a mouthful," Aria smirked.

"I know. We're working on it," he commented.

"You know, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA," Miss Potts started.

"We're a separate division with a more specific focus," Coulson stated.

"I'll put something in the books, shall I?" Pepper replied in an attempt to finish the conversation.

"Thank you. Miss Stark, I'd like to meet with you separately for a different purpose," he informed the young woman.

"Can you do later today in a hour? My office?" She asked, looking the calendar in her tablet.

"Yes, thank you," he answered.

"Hey, would it be alright if everyone sat down? That way you can see me, and I can," Tony started from the front. "A little less formal."

"What's with the love in?" Rhodey asked Pepper, appearing suddenly.

"Don't look at me. I don't know what he's up too," she responded.

The three of them sat in the floor, nervous and unsure as to how Tony's press conference would go.

"I never got to say goodbye to dad. I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions I would ask him. I would have asked him how felt about what this company did. If he was ever conflicted, if he had any doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we remember from the newsreels. I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had nape one a part of a system that had zero accountability," Tony stated in a somber tone.

"Mr Stark!" The reporters called out, vying for his attention.

"Hey Ben," Tony greeted the journalist in front of him.

"What happened over there?" The young journalist asked, causing Tony to rise and stand behind the podium.

"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize I had more to offer this world than make things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries," Tony informed the audience of journalists.

Everyone took to their feet trying to get another question to him before he was swept out of the room. Rhodey, Aria, and Pepper rushed out of the room and towards Tony. The trio had located Tony in a side conference room, waiting for them to join him.

"What was that? Your done with weapons?" Rhodey demanded.

"Tony, what happened over there? What really happened?" Pepper asked.

"Nothing from you?" Tony asked his sister. "Long story short, I was held hostage. These guys had almost every model of weapon I had made and wanted me to make the newest one. Oh and there's this," he explained, unbuttoning his shirt and showing off the arc reactor in his chest.

"Is that an arc reactor? Does it work? Why is it in you?" Aria questioned him tapping the device lodged into his chest.

"Yes, it works. I got hit by my own weapons, shrapnel got lodged into my chest and this is keeping me alive," he answered.

Rhodey could only stare at his best friend, trying to take in how casual the pair of siblings were about this serious issue. Pepper tried her hardest not to cry, fighting the tears from spilling. She hadn't realized how badly injured he actually was.

"I'm impressed," Aria commented while Tony buttoned his shirt up.

"You gonna be okay there?" Tony asked his assistant.

"Yes, it's just a bit much to take in at once," she confessed.

"Let's go home," Tony announced. "I think want to go home now. You coming Aria?"

"I've got a meeting. I'll see you guys later," she answered.

Aria took off through the still crowded foyer, dodging journalists who looked as if they were about to stop her and ask her a question. The crowd was thinned out toward the stairs, allowing her room to breathe. She slowly ascended the stairs to the second floor, the sound of her boots resonating from the floor. Sitting in a chair outside of her office was Agent Phil Coulson waiting for her.

"We can start this meeting now if you'd like," Aria offered the man.

"I'd appreciate," he smiled, following her into her office.

"Would you care for anything to drink? Water, coffee, tea?" Aria offered.

"No thank you," Agent Coulson declined, sitting in the chair opposite of her.

"So what can I help you with Agent Coulson?" Aria inquired.

"Myself and others are fans of your work. The Intellicrops, water purifying systems, and smart glass technology," he started. "The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division would like to bring you in as a contractor."

"And what would I be doing?" She asked curiously, her hands clasped in front of her.

"We're more interested in your skills of smart glass technology. We feel as if you are an expert in that are and would love to have you help us implement it," Coulson explained.

"When would you like me to start?" Aria grinned.

"Inside is the information outlying the details of how we would like your participation with our organization as well as your payment. We understand how important your time is," he informed her as he placed a large faded yellow envelope in front of her. "Your father would be proud of you."

"You knew my father?" She slowly asked him, her eyes studying his face for any information.

"He was one of the founders of my organization. I've had the privilege to meet him," Agent Coulson explained.

"Count me in," Aria confirmed, a sense of hope bubbling inside her chest.

"One more thing, please keep this as quite as possible. Even from Miss Potts and Mr. Stark if possible," he added.


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, Thank you to everyone who has this story on alert/favorite and who have reviewed it. I really appreciate it. Enjoy the next installation of the story!

* * *

"Hi Pepper," Aria greeted, flashing a smile to her friend.

"Do you want to know what I did for your brother today?" She asked with a hint of disgust in her tone.

"Nope! What you and Tony do in private is really none of my business," the young woman cringed.

"It wasn't that," Pepper responded, holding Tony's old arc reactor in her hand.

"Wasn't that keeping him alive? Pepper! What's going on?" Aria demanded.

"This is the old one. He built a new one and had me pull a chord out of his chest," she explained in disgust. "Next time you are doing it."

"As fun as that sounds I vote send him to the hospital for that," Aria laughed as she slipped up the stairs and into her room.

The day had been a whirlwind of emotions: Tony coming home, him shutting down the weapons division, Obadiah freaking out and flying to New York for a board meeting, becoming a contract employee of a secret organization her father helped fund, and her friend sticking her hand into her brother to swap out the thing keeping him alive. A small giggle escaped from her lips from remembering how Obadiah looked after her meeting with Agent Phil Coulson. Aria was heading down to the cafeteria when she spotted him. He had been flipping the furniture over in his office and was stuck on his desk. She had watched how he tried in vain but couldn't get it to budge. Obadiah had looked ridiculous with his shirt untucked and his tie on the floor across the room next to just one of his shoes.

Aria had never been overly fond of Obadiah. When her parents were killed in a car accident, Obadiah became her legal guardian. The first chance he got, he sent her to a boarding school in the UK. She didn't return to Malibu until after she graduated from MIT at 17.

Around four hours later, Aria finally cracked her eyes open. She slipped into a pair of soffe shorts and a tank top. Aria padded through the house and down to the garage, after hearing an loud commotion when she was in the kitchen.

"Tony? What are you building?" Aria asked.

"Oh hey, you're awake. Uh, it's a project of mine," he responded.

"Yeah, I can see that it's a project. What is it? Don't tell me it's a new weapon because you basically told the world you're done with weapons," she pressed, knowing he'll have to let her know what he was doing.

"It's not a weapon," Tony sighed, knowing he'd have to explain what he was building. "I escaped my captivity in a suit that I built, with help from another. I wanted to rebuild it but with a more sleek and efficient design."

Aria looked at her brother. She noticed the bags under his eyes and how exhausted he looked.

"Is this how you're dealing? Are you okay?" She frowned.

Tony sighed, "yes, this is how I'm dealing. I need to do this."

"Alright. No more weapons though," Aria smirked, pulling her brother into a hug.

"Deal," he smirked. "Oh and keep this a secret. Only you, me, and Pepper know about this. Possible Rhodey might be let in."

"So no Obie?" She replied.

"No Obie or Stark Industries," Tony confirmed.

* * *

Pepper had been sitting on the couch with Aria, over looking important financial documents of the last fiscal quarter. The two had papers spread about and their tablets near by for quick research of current stock prices.

"Mr. Stane is at the door. Shall I let him in?" JARVIS asked the pair.

"Yes," Pepper replied, not looking up from a packet of stapled papers in her hand.

"Hey Obadiah. How'd it go?" Aria inquired, wiping one of the lenses of her glasses.

"Could've been better," he replied, setting a large pizza on the piano and sitting at the piano himself.

He started playing a melody while Aria and Pepper continued to work in silence. The sound of Tony's footsteps from the garage started to echo off the stairwell.

"How'd it go?" Tony asked as he emerged from the garage. "It went that bad huh?"

"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean that it went bad," Obadiah countered, offering Aria and Pepper a slice of pizza. "It would have gone better if you were there."

"You told me to lay low, and that's what I've been doing. I lay low and you take care of all," Tony started.

"In public. The press," Obadiah lectured. "This was a board of directors meeting."

"A board of directors meeting?" Tony questioned.

"The board is claiming you have post traumatic stress. There filling for an injunction," he explained.

"Why wasn't I informed of this meeting?" Aria asked, looking up from the papers in front of her.

Obadiah decided to ignore the youngest Stark and continue to lecture the eldest, "They want to lock you out."

"Why? 'Cause the stocks dipped forty points? We knew that was going to happen," Tony challenged.

"Fifty-six and a half," Pepper corrected, stealing a glance at the furious young woman next to her.

"It doesn't matter. We own the controlling interest in the company," Tony defended.

"Tony, the board has rights too!" Obadiah shot back, trying to make him see the logic in the situation. "They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest."

"I'm being responsible! That's a new direction for me, for the company," he pointed out to his friend.

Obadiah just shook his head, "Oh come on Tony, Tony!"

"I'll be in the shop," Tony replied, starting to leave the room.

"Hey, hey! Hey, Tony. Listen. I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you've gotta give me something. Something to pitch them," Obadiah said, stopping him. He tapped Tony's arc reactor, "Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs."

"No, absolutely not," he shot him down.

"It'll give me a bone to throw to the boys in New York!" Obadiah pleaded.

"This one stays with me," Tony denied, reaching for the abandoned pizza. "That's it Obie, forget it."

"Alright, well, that stays here," he replied, bragging the pizza box back from him. "Go on, here have a piece. Take two."

"Thank you," Tony called back, making his way down to the garage.

"You mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?" Obadiah asked after him.

"Goodnight Obie," Tony replied.

"What are we going to do about him?" Obadiah thought out loud.

"Tony's had a rough time and he's trying to adjust. It may be a while before he settles down," Pepper suggested.

"Either of you want any pizza before I leave?" He offered, holding out the pizza to the once again.

"No thanks," Aria replied shortly while Pepper shook her head no.

"I'll see you two tomorrow," Obadiah responded.

Grabbing the pizza, he walked out leaving the women alone together again.

"You okay?" Pepper asked Aria, starting to gather up all of the papers.

"Why wasn't I told about the board of directors meeting? I always step in for Tony when he decides he doesn't want to go to meetings, benefits, or award ceremonies. I think Obie is up to something," Aria ranted.

"Maybe he forgot to tell you. It's been a bit hectic at Stark Industries over the past few days," Pepper explained. "I wouldn't think anything of it."

"Maybe you're right. I'll see you tomorrow," she sighed, gathering her tablet.

* * *

"Miss Stark! Miss Stark!" The paparazzi shouted, flashes blinding her as she walked past them.

Aria plastered a smile on her face as she gracefully ascended the steps of the Walt Disney Concert Hall for the Tony Stark Benefit for Firefighter' Family Fund. She didn't expect her brother to appear; no one did actually. Her long, red strapless dress caught the eye of anyone she walked past while her brown hair cascaded down her back in waves. The second she stepped foot into the building she was never alone. There always seemed to have someone offering to buy her a drink or ask for a dance.

"Aria Stark?" A man asked. "I've seen pictures of you in magazines and was lucky to watch your speech at the TED Talks last year. I'm Justin Hammer of Hammer Industries, you might of heard of me."

"I've heard of Hammer Industries, yes. It's a pleasure to meet you," Aria replied, forcing a smile.

"I was hoping to ask you for a dance," Hammer stated with a sly grin on his face.

"Of course," she replied dutifully.

Aria knew the importance of understanding your competitors. She also knew how it would look with people watching her if she started turning away dance partners.

"How has your brother been since he's been back?" He asked her, twirling her.

"He's been doing good," Aria replied, slowly realizing how she badly she wanted to run away from this man.

"It's a shame Stark Industries is shutting down its weapon manufacturing. You know, if you'd like to continue creating weapons, I'm sure I could find you a place within my company," he offered.

Luckily for Aria she spotted Agent Coulson standing by the bar. "If you'll excuse me," she told him, "I see someone who I need to speak with before they leave."

"Alright. Maybe i can catch you later," Hammer grinned, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"If you can find me," she replied, slowly backing away.

Once she was able to, her black stilettos took her to the bar and next to Coulson.

"Vodka Martini," Aria ordered, pulling a fifty out of her bra and dropping it into a jar.

"He seems nice," Coulson grinned.

"He was kinda creepy," Aria corrected, picking up the drink that was placed in front of her.

"Who was he?" He asked curiously.

"Justin Hammer. I know of his work. I've tried it before out of curiosity. It's all shit. All of his products seem half-assed," Aria answered.

"That's why we have never hired him to work with us," Coulson admitted.

"You guys have excellent taste in contractors," she laughed, emptying half her glass.

"So what do you think of the project?" He inquired.

"I'm game for all of it. I have a few ideas too. Some ideas I have only written down and haven't built a prototype yet. Maybe I can give the specs to some of your tech guys and engineers and see if they can build it," Aria informed him. "It all just looks exciting."

"It is. I'll see you soon Miss Stark," Agent Coulson replied.

"Good bye Coulson," Aria sighed, downing the rest of her drink.

Aria had already spent two hours socializing and putting a good face on for the Stark Family and she could feel her energy draining away. She looked up from the bar and found her brother dancing with Pepper. A smile grew on her face, only to quickly disappear behind a yawn. As she left the Disney Concert Hall she decided against her better instinct and do a few interviews for the reporters still waiting outside. It wasn't until Tony stormed past her that she left the area mid-interview.

"Tony! Tony wait up!" Aria called to him.

"What!" He snapped. "Sorry, sorry. Do you want a ride home?"

"Yeah, and you can tell me about this mood you're in," She commented, slipping into the passenger seat of his Audi.

As the car roared to life, Aria gained some energy, "So, what's up?"

"It was Obadiah," Tony ranted. "He was the one who filed the injunction against me. I bet you anything that son of a bitch was the one who shipped weapons under the table."

"What? Are you sure it was him who wanted to lock you out and he shipped the weapons?" Aria inquired.

"He told me he filed it himself. And who else has ape ought authority to ship weapons and hide the manifests deep enough for us to not notice!" He continued, driving faster so that he could get home sooner.

"So what do we do?" She sighed.

"Act natural. All of this is my fault and I'm not going to risk losing you or Pepper. By the way, don't tell Pepper," he added. "Or Rhodey. I'll do it if I need to."


	5. Chapter 5

It seems this story is going to be shorter than I had hoped. Thank you to those who read, review, favorite, and have this story on alert. I have one more chapter lined up after this one and a sequel to this is lined up and ready to go!

* * *

Aria sat hunched over her workstation in the garage, finishing Tony's new phone while her brother sat on the couch adjusting the glove on his hand. The television was set on a news station reporting about attacks on a town called Gulmira. They named a group called The Ten Rings, who was responsible for driving citizens of this town out of their homes. As the report carried on with the hardships for the now displaced citizens, Aria didn't notice Tony stand. He stretched his arm out and shot out one of the lights in the ceiling.

"Tony!" She shrieked, nearly jumping a foot in the air.

He ignored her as he destroyed one of the glass walls. He preceded to to blast the remaining panels of glass, leaving the tv on as it continued to describe the situation in Gulmira.

"Tony!" Aria yelled, desperate for his attention.

Tony proceeded to stalk out of the room, returning ten minutes later wearing different clothes. Aria jumped in front of him causing him to shove her to the side.

"Hey! Tony! What are you doing? What's wrong?" She demanded, close to tears. "Just tell me what you're doing. You're scaring me."

"I'm going to take clean up my mess. I'll be back," he explained. "I promise."

Tony walked to a newly modified part of the garage and stood in the middle of it. The floor came apart and revealed robotic arms that started placing his suit on him as he stepped into the boots. As he was being screwed into his suit, Aria could only stand by and watch. She struggled to fight back the feeling that she was going to lose her brother again. With his helmet secured tightly, he took off through the tunnel leading out of the garage. His little sister stood there, unsure about what she needed to do at the moment.

* * *

"Do you know what Tony has done!?" Pepper stressfully confronted Aria who was sitting at the piano.

"He's back?" She question in return, her fingers gliding across the keys.

"Bullet holes, Aria. There were bullet holes," Pepper fumed, falling down onto the couch. "Oh, and the glass panels are shattered too."

"I was there for that. He was weird, sort of in a trance," Aria divulged.

"And you didn't stop him?" The ginger demanded.

"Like I would be able to stop him in that state. We should be thankful he isn't drinking as much anymore. Nor is he whoring around at all," She replied with a melancholy tone in her voice.

Pepper Potts stared at the young woman, worry settling in on her face, "Are you alright Aria? We've all been focused on Tony, but you were effected by his disappearance more than anyone else."

"I'm fine," she sang, matching the pitches of what she was playing.

"Well, I'm always there if you need me," Pepper stated softly.

"What are you two up to?" Tony asked, coming up from the garage.

"We are discussing your sudden vengeful personality," Aria revealed, increasing the tempo of the song.

"Instead let's go out for dinner. Chinese sound good?" Tony suggested, trying to get the conversation to go in a different direction.

"I vote Teppanyaki," Aria commented, silencing the piano. "We had Chinese last week."

"I'm going to side with Aria on that," Pepper smiled.

"I'll call Rohdey, I owe him after today," Tony added, receiving worried looks from the women.

* * *

Tony had the top half of his suit set up at his desk while Aria was finishing the software update for Tony's phone. The two were working in a comfortable silence. Aria was so absorbed in her work that she didn't realize Pepper had entered the room until her brother started talking.

"Hey, you busy? Mind if I send you on an errand" Tony greeted, moving away from the suit. "I need you to go to my office. You're going to hack into the mainframe and you're going to retrieve all the recent shipping manifests."

Aria moved away from her desk with Tony's new phone in hand. She watched as Tony handed Pepper a sleek flash drive

"This is a lock chip. This'll get you in," he explained. "It's probably under Executive Files. If not, they put it in a ghost drive, in which you need to look for the lowest numerical heading."

"What do you plan to do with this information if I bring it back here?" Pepper inquired with a hoping of unease in her voice.

"Same drill. They've been dealing under the table, and I'm going to stop them. I'm going to find my weapons and destroy them," Tony answered, sitting at his desk.

"Tony, you know that I would help you with anything, but I cannot help you if you're going to start all of this again," Pepper sighed.

Tony stared at her, contemplating what to say "There is nothing except this. There's no art opening. There is no benefit. There is nothing to sign. There is the next mission and nothing else."

"Is that so? Well, then, I quit," She responded, turning to leave.

"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction," Tony called to her. "And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?"

"You're going to kill yourself, Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it," Pepper argued

"I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason. I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right," Tony lamented, staring down at his desk.

You're all I have, too, you know. You and Aria," She informed him, turning to the other occupant in the room and smiled.

Pepper quickly left the room, leaving the siblings alone together once more. Aria cautiously moved towards her brother. She gently laid the phone in front of him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind. He laid his head back into, enjoying the comfort of being near his little sister and having her care for him.

"Thanks for still being here kiddo," Tony murmured.

"Well, you need someone to support you in your insane ventures and ideas. Someone besides Pepper," she smiled, ruffling his hair. "I won't always be here though."

"What do you mean?" He asked, swiveling around to stare at her.

She wrapped her arms around herself and searched for the exact words she wanted to tell him. "I'm working a contract for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics. It's just implementing smart glass technology. I'll be in DC for about three months."

"But you'll come back right?" Tony questioned, looking like a lost puppy.

"Yes, I'll be back when I'm done," Aria laughed.

"When do you leave?" He asked.

"In a week. Maybe when I get back you'll actually have this place cleaned up," she jested, heading towards the stairs.

The sound of crunched glass resounded through the garage as Aria left her brother to continue tinkering with his suit. She took her time walking through the house until she reached the bathroom. Her brown hair had become greasy and tangled, the bags under her eyes had returned from her staying up late almost every night to keep an eye on her brother. Her eyes were diverted from the mirror in front of her towards her bed as the sound of her phone filled the silence.

"Hello?" Aria answered.

"Hey Aria, it's Justin. Justin Hammer," the caller responded.

"Oh hey, uh now is not a good time," she said awkwardly.

"I'll make it quick. How would you like to go out for dinner?" He asked, causing Aria's face to scrunch up in disgust.

"I wish I could, but I promised my brother I would spend time with him," she lied, hoping the conversation would end.

"Alright, well I'm busy until next week. How about then?" Hammer suggested.

"I'm going out of town next," she informed him. "How about I call you when I'm available?"

"Sounds like a plan Aria," he replied.

"Talk to you later," she told him, not giving him the chance to reply by ending the call.

"Why," she groaned, running her hand through her hair.

She dragged herself back into her bathroom and into the shower. She let the water flow down her back as she let the tension in her shoulders go.

* * *

"Hey Tony, have you seen Pepper? She should've been back by now," Aria called out.

The black pants she was wearing made her look taller, while her classic Chuck Taylor's made her look younger. She was adjusting her red, button-up blouse as she descended the stairs.

"Tony?" She asked again, discovering Tony lying motionless on the couch without his arc reactor. "What's going on?"

"It's a shame that this has to be the way you last see each other," Obadiah told her as he came up behind her.

Before Aria had the chance to respond she heard a high pitch noise. Every muscle in her body seized up, rendering her motionless. Her eyes locked onto her brother's as a pair of hands picked her up. Obadiah tossed her onto his shoulder and started towards the door.

"I never knew that she was suicidal, but I guess after finding her brother dead she lost her will to live," Obadiah called back. "It's a bit ironic she jumped off the building that held the arc reactor."


	6. Chapter 6

**First and foremost, I would like thank everyone for reading! I would also like to thank everyone who have favorited, alerted, and reviewed this story, it means the world to me. The story ended up being shorter than I had hoped, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I like to think of this story as my getting back into writing. The sequel is now posted as well, a story that I hope will be longer and better written (I am a bit critical of my own work) than this one, titled ****_Facing Death_****. Enjoy!**

* * *

Obadiah Stane dropped Aria in the passenger seat of his white Porsche Boxster. Her head slumped back against the head rest as her captor strode to the drivers side. He swiftly climbed into his car, reaching across the young woman to buckle her in; grazing her chest in the process. He chuckled lightly as her seatbelt clicked into position.

"You know, I could always spare your life," Obadiah suggested. "You would look better on my arm than buried next to Tony."

Aria was still paralyzed, unable to reply. Her mind was reeling at the suggestion. Chuckling, he slipped the key into the ignition and they felt the car roar to life. The car sped out of the driveway and towards Stark Industries. Ten minutes later Aria was able to start wiggling her fingers. Unfortunately for her, Obadiah had noticed her newfound movement capabilities. Aria watched Obadiah, from the corner of her eye, sling his arm around the back of her head rest. His hand held the sonic paralyzer, effectively keeping her motionless for another fifteen minutes.

Aria had the device used on her a grand total of 5 times by the time they arrived at Stark Industries. Even though her muscles had seized and refused to flex, her stomach and nerves began to feel the side effects of the prolific usage. Her right ear had a trail of dried blood that reached the bottom of her jaw and she had become sensitive to bright and loud sounds.

As the engine was turned off, she felt her seatbelt slide back into it's resting place to her right. A moment later Obadiah had moved to her car door and sang it open. She felt him lift her out of the seat like she was a rag doll, his hands lingering on her body, and kept her steady on his shoulder.

"Let's go see the suit I've been working on," he grinned, starting in towards the building.

He carried her through sector 16, placing her down in front of a damaged suit.

"Now this one, this is the suit your brother made to escape the cave he was being held in. Originally I paid them to kill Tony, but they were greedy. They wanted more money and wanted him build them weapons," Obadiah explained. "You stay here while I go change."

He quickly handcuffed her hands around a railing that was above her head. Aria stared up, trying to work out a plane of escape. She figured it'd been 12 minutes since she'd last been able to move and knew that she'd have the use of her muscles in just minutes. Obadiah's words echoed in her head I paid them to kill Tony. What ever color was left in her face drained away.

The sound of multiple pairs of footsteps approached her. Her heart filled with hope as she saw Pepper and Agent Coulson enter her line of sight.

"Looks like you were right. He was building a suit," Coulson commented upon noticing the suit.

"I thought it'd be bigger," Pepper added, before she noticed the young woman on the floor behind her. "Aria!"

"Miss Stark. Miss Stark can you hear me?" Coulson asked, crouching to her level.

Aria had yet to regain her movement back, but was able to blink out S.O.S., acknowledging him. He shot the chains connecting to two cuffs, allowing her hands to fall to her lap.

"Agent Ward, I need you to take her outside," Agent Coulson instructed.

Aria felt a pair of arms gently pick her up. She was carried outside and placed into the back seat of car. The man who carried her placed a first aide kit on the ground next to the car, taking supplies out of it. Something wet was placed against the skin by her right ear.

"You've got quite a bit of dried blood by your ear," he commented, continuing to clean the blood off her as the sound of a large vehicle came screeching to a halt near by.

"Aria?!" Happy gasped. "You're alive, you're safe. Tony is going to be relieved."

"He's alive?" She croaked, finally gaining the use of her muscles.

"Yeah and on his way here for Obadiah," he answered. "I'm going to take her to the hospital."

Agent Ward moved out of the way as happy swooped in to pick her up.

"You look like shit you know?" He laughed, causing her to smile.

"Yeah well, you endure what I've been through tonight and you'd end up looking like me," she smirked.

As she was carried over to the passenger side of the SUV, she motioned for him to set her down. The second her feet touched the ground she heaved over and emptied the contents of her stomach. Happy barely acted in time to help hold her up.

"What'd he do to you?" Happy inquired, letting her walk to the door but keeping his arm around her for support.

"Tony created a weapon that can paralyzer through sonic waves a few years ago. Didn't make it to manufacturing, too dangerous,"she feebly informed him, struggling with the car door. "I got hit with that four or five times. I can't remember."

Happy swiftly opened the door and helped her climb inside. Their attention was drawn to the building that she had just escaped from. Coulson and the four agents left inside quickly walked to their cars while Pepper took her time leaving. Happy rushed to his door and threw the car into action.

"What are you doing? We have to get Pepper before we leave!" Aria whimpered.

The agents swiftly drove off, Pepper finally walking out of the building. As Happy was about to answer the ground near Pepper started to crumble as a giant hand reached out. A suit similar to Tony's original climbed out of the hole.

"Buckle in. I'm gonna ram this guy!" He instructed Aria, quickly buckling himself in.

A loud screech filled the air as he threw the vehicle into reverse and back up quickly. Before he had the chance to shift it into drive a Tony Stark flew threw the air and slammed into the mechanical suit first.

"Just go, hospital. The one closest to home please, I'm not that bad," Aria croaked as she leaned her head back.

Happy sped of through the free way, driving with a purpose and passing most cars. Spotting something peculiar in his rear view mirror, he veered right. A large metal object smashed into the road followed by a blur that looked a lot like Tony.

"Is that Obadiah?" Happy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, and he is much creepier than I thought," Aria answered, closing her eyes. "He basically said that he'd let me live if I married him."

Happy stole a glance at young woman next to him. He'd remembered the day she moved into the Stark Mansion, a bright-eyed 17 year old with a notebook fills of ideas to help the world. She was so young and bubbly, but now. Now she looked much older, weathered, broken.

"I hope Tony kills him. Pepper told me that he was responsible for his kidnapping," he informed her. Taking the off ramp. "Don't fall asleep on me. I don't know your condition and Tony would kill me if I let something happen to you, you know."

"But I'm tired," Aria mumbled as she saw the bright sign that read Hospital.

"Aria!" He yelled, panic setting in as he parked in front of the Emergency Room exit.

"I'm awake, don't worry," she insisted, swatting his arms away so he wouldn't carry her in. "You are blowing this out of proportions."

He wrapped his arm around her waist helping her through the door while his free hand shot into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone. Before his finger could unlock the screen, it light up with a picture of Pepper and her name.

"What's the situation?" He asked into the phone as he set Aria on a chair.

"He's alive, but just barely. He needs help. I think Aria might be the only person who knows how to fix him," Pepper explained.

Aria had leaned into Happy's arm as he sat down next to her so she could hear the conversation. She closed her eyes so the nauseous white walls and floors wouldn't make her feel worse.

"I just brought Aria to the hospital, the one by the house. Can you bring him here?" He asked, looking down at the young woman.

"I'll them to take Tony there. How is she?" The phone chirped.

"She's tired and a bit out of it, but I think she'll recover quickly. Who's there with you?" Happy inquired.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are here cleaning up the mess. They have a helicopter and are flying Tony over. I'm going with them so I'll meet you guys there," Pepper answered.

"I'll see you soon," he replied before hanging up. "You okay on your own for a minute or two while I talk to front desk?"

"Yes, I'm better than I look," Aria said, glancing around for a nearby magazine.

* * *

"'Iron Man.' That's kind of catchy. It's got a nice ring to it." Tony quipped, reading the paper in his hand. "I mean, it's not technically accurate. The suit's a gold-titanium alloy, but it's kind of evocative, the imagery, anyway."

Tony was sitting in a conference room in the main building of Stark Industries. Pepper, Aria, and Agent Coulson were in the room with him as he prepped to give a press conference. Aria had been asked to join him, but turned down the request.

"Here's your alibi," Agent Coulson informed him, handing a stack of cards to him.

"Okay," he replied, allowing Pepper to accept the cards for him.

"You were on your yacht," Coulson started.

"Yeah," Tony interjected as he skimmed through the cards.

"We have port papers that put you in Avalon all night, and sworn statements from 50 of your guests," the agent finished.

"See, I was thinking maybe we should say it was just Pepper and me alone on the island," Tony suggested.

"That's what happened," Coulson pressed.

"All right," he acknowledged.

"Just read it, word for word," Agent Coulson told him, moving to stand next to Aria.

"There's nothing about Stane here," Tony stated, rereading one of the cards

"That's being handled. He's on vacation. Small aircraft have such a poor safety record," Coulson explained.

"But what about the whole cover story that it's a bodyguard? He's my... I mean, is that... That's kind of flimsy, don't you think?" Tony argued

"This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark. Just stick to the official statement, and soon, this will all be behind you," the agent stated as he turned to walk out of the room. "You've got 90 seconds."

"Agent Coulson? Pepper called out. "I just wanted to say thank you very much for all of your help."

"That's what we do. You'll be hearing from us," he informed her.

"From the Strategic Homeland," Pepper started.

"Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D.," Coulson interjected, smiling at the woman.

"Right," she acknowledged.

"Let's get this show on the road. You know, it's actually not that bad," Tony commented

* * *

"And now, Mr. Stark has prepared a statement. He will not be taking any questions. Thank you," Rhodey announced to the group of journalists in front of him.

"Been a while since I was in front of you. I figure I'll stick to the cards this time. There's been speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and the rooftop," Tony read, actually following the request to read from the cards.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard

in a suit that conveniently appeared, despite the fact that you," a blonde woman in the front said, interrupting Tony from being responsible.

Tony stared at the woman, now having to improv, "I know that it's confusing. It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I'm a superhero."

"I never said you were a superhero," she stated.

"Didn't? Well, good, because that would be outlandish and fantastic. I'm just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I've made, largely public," Tony rambled, digging himself into a hole.

Due to Tony's ramblings, Rhodey stepped on stage, "Just stick to the cards, man."

"Yeah, okay. Yeah. The truth is I am Iron Man," Tony admitted, causing the reporters to go in a frenzy.

Aria had been standing in the back of the hall with Pepper and Agent Coulson.

"Oh no," Aria sighed. "They've helped him inflate his ego. I didn't think that was possible for him."

"I don't know what I'm going to do with him," Pepper commented, shaking her head. "We'll miss you."

Pepper had now turned and pulled the young woman into her, holding her tight.

"I'll be gone for three months, it's not that long," Aria replied, embracing her friend.

"It's a year when you're working for Tony," Pepper laughed as she pulled a away.

"Trying being related to him," Aria smirked.

"I might be to busy to also be your assistant. Now that he's told the world who he is, he's going to be even more trouble," Pepper informed her friend.

"Thanks for the heads up," she said. "You ready Phil?"

"Let's hit the road," He replied.

"Nice car," Aria commented, eyeing the red convertible.

"Her name is Lola. I've had a few S.H.I.E.L.D. engineers work on her to make her special," Coulson replied, climbing into the drivers seat.

"As in bullet proof, machine guns, slick oil?" Aria grinned as she placed her bags in the backseat.

"Everything but making her fly," he smiled.

"Now that, I may be able to help you with," she winked.

"I think we may have footage of your father's original flying car from the 1942 Stark Expo. If you'd like, I can see what I can find of your father's for you," Coulson offered.

"I've only heard a few things in passing about dad's Stark Expo. What do you know about it?" Aria curiously asked him as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"I remembering going to the 1942 Stark Expo and seeing his flying car, the super suits, the futuristic technology. For a twelve year old it was the most influential thing I could have experienced. And then a week later Captain America took its place," he described in an almost dream like state.

"Are you telling me you were born in 1930? No, I don't believe you," she narrowed her eyes.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has made many breakthroughs in genetic engineering. I might have volunteered for a project that was similar to the Super Soldier program," Coulson sheepishly admitted. "I would prefer it if you didn't tell anyone about this though."

"I'll take it to the grave," Aria promised. "I can't wait to make this beauty airborne."

"That's good to know," Coulson acknowledged.

"So, you're a fan of Captain America then?" She asked as Coulson pulled onto the freeway towards Edwards Air Force Base.

"Are you kidding me? He's my hero. I wanted to be him when I was a kid. I have a complete collection of Captain America trading cards in mint condition that I've collected. There is slight foxing around the edges of a few of them, but other than that, they're perfect," he grinned. "How did you become a fan?"

"When I was eight, I was at this boarding school in the UK; the only American. One day this new girl shows up, an American. I was so excited because I was bullied all the time and I felt that I could finally have a friend. Even though she was a year younger we clicked, Alexis. She brought her collection of Captain America comic books with her," Aria explained, her excitement getting the better of her. "We played together, she would be Captain America, mainly because she was blonde and I was Bucky. Being Captain America and Bucky helped us stand up to our bullies and gave us confidence. It was the highlight of my childhood."

"Sounds like a memorable childhood," he laughed. "What happened to your friend?"

"She was killed by a drunk driver when I was at MIT, I was 16," Aria lamented. "It hit me hard. Her mom gave me her old Captain America comic books."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Coulson apologized, quickly glancing over at her.

"Thank you, but i've been able to move on. We'll always have the Captain though," she smiled.


End file.
